Michael Phelps. Biography

Michael Phelps is a legendary American swimmer, nicknamed "The Baltimore Bullet". His name is probably known not only to fans. Phelps is the holder of many records and the owner of the largest number of Olympic medals won.

Michael Phelps was born June 30, 1985 in Baltimore. His father, a police officer, played football for the school team in his youth. Mother is a school teacher. Michael also has two older sisters, not without whose influence he came to the sport. As a child, Michael was a very active child: at the age of ten, he was even diagnosed with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. The parents of the future world sports star divorced when Michael was 9 years old, and the children stayed with their mother. Until now, the athlete maintains a trusting and warm relationship with his mother.

The beginning of a sports career

Michael has been fond of swimming since the age of seven. He got into the section after his two sisters. There he met his coach, who recognized his talent and took up his training. He remains Phelps' permanent coach to this day.

The young athlete made progress quickly. At the age of 15, he already played for the national team in the Olympic Games, setting the first record - for age. True, at that time Phelps was left without medals, having come to the finish line only fifth. However, the young talent quickly corrected this state of affairs: a year later he set a world record, becoming the youngest record holder in the world. It is not surprising that in his homeland for this achievement he was declared the swimmer of the year. By the way, in total, Michael was awarded this honorary title 9 times!

Michael Phelps set an unthinkable number of records. For example, he became the first 23-time Olympic champion. He has 37 world records, and some of them held for many years. The year 2009 was the richest in success, when the swimmer set 9 world records at once. Michael is the most decorated Olympic athlete to date, collecting a record number of medals. The most "productive" for him were the 2012 Olympic Games, where Phelps collected 22 awards. In total, there are 77 medals in his collection, of which 65 are gold.

Michael Phelps in competition:

Michael's unprecedented success in swimming gave friends and fans a reason to give the athlete another nickname - "Flying Fish". Indeed, in the water this person clearly feels at home!

Michael Phelps at the 2016 Rio Olympics:

A feature of Phelps is not quite an ordinary figure. His feet are too big, his legs are too short, his arms are too wide, and his torso is too long. However, it is easy to see that such an addition does not interfere and, perhaps, even helps Michael set records. He became the pride of his country and his hometown of Baltimore, where a street was named after him.

Michael Phelps receives the gold medal:

Personal life

The personal life of Michael Phelps is romantically and directly connected with the water track, on which he breaks records. For nine years, Phelps has been dating Nicole Johnson, the owner of the Miss California title. Three months ago, their first child was born. But Michael preferred a sports career, several times “floating away” from the altar.

Michael Phelps with civil wife Nicole Johnson:

In 2016, the famous athlete made a promise to marry if he was defeated at the Rio Olympics. Fate was not slow to give him a chance, sending defeat from a young athlete. A puzzled Michael is about to keep his promise and leave his career for the sake of his family. His lucky bride is already planning their wedding, and there's a chance that her titled fiancé won't run into the pool this time.

As for Phelps' promise to leave his sports career, it's not worth guessing. Michael already announced his retirement in 2012, but still returned to the waterway. Perhaps the king of the pool will still delight fans with new world records.

Biographies of famous athletes you will find

Michael Phelps born June 30 1985 of the year. His father Fred Phelps was a police officer and his mother Debbie Phelps was a teacher. The Michael Phelps family lived in Baltimore (Maryland, USA).

Michael started swimming at the age of 7 when his two older sisters, Whitney ( 1978 year of birth) and Hilary ( 1980 year of birth), accepted into the local swimming team. IN 1994 In 1998, his parents divorced, and the children began to live with their mother, with whom Michael still has a very close relationship.

Michael met his coach, Bob Bowman, while training at the Swim Club in North Baltimore. Bob immediately recognized the potential of Michael and became his coach, who trains him now.

At 15, Michael Phelps became the youngest Olympic swimmer in American swimming history. He participated with the American team in the Sydney Olympics ( 2000 d), although he came there only fifth.

spring 2001 Phelps set the world record in the 200m butterfly and became the youngest swimmer in history to set a world record. He was then 15 years and 9 months old. He later broke his record at the World Swimming Championships. 2001 of the year in 1:54:58, earning his first international medal.

2002 year brought Phelps participation in the American Summer National Competitions (U.S. Summer Nationals). And a few more records: a new world record in the 400m medley and US records in the 100m butterfly and 200m medley. At the same event the following year, Phelps broke his own 400m medley world record in 4:09:09.

Shortly after graduating from Towson High School (a suburb of Baltimore) in 2003 17 year old Michael Phelps set 5 world records including the 200m medley at the World Swimming Championships in Barcelona with a time of 1:56:04. Then during the qualifying competitions for the Olympics 2004 he again broke his own world record in the 400m medley, covering the distance in 4:08:41.

Phelps became a celebrity after the Olympics 2004 years in Athens, where he earned 8 medals (6 of them gold). So he repeated the record of the Russian gymnast Alexander Dityatin for the total number of medals received in one Olympics, set by Dityatin in 1980 Phelps won gold in 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m medley, 4x200 freestyle and 4x100 medley, bronze in 200m freestyle and 4x100 freestyle. He also set 3 Olympic records and 1 world record.

IN 2004 Bob Bowman was transferred to Michigan and Michael went with him. He entered the University of Michigan in the Department of Sports Marketing and Management, continuing to train under the guidance of his coach.

IN 2007 Phelps took part in the World Championships in Melbourne where he won 7 gold medals, setting 5 new world records. In preparation for the Olympic Games 2008 , Phelps set himself the task of breaking the record of his compatriot Mark Spitz, who at the Olympics 1972 year in Munich won 7 gold awards.

At the Beijing Olympics 2008 Phelps became a real sensation, winning 8 gold medals. He won the 400m medley, 200m butterfly, 200m freestyle, 200m medley, 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley and 4x200m freestyle relays. In all heats except the 100m butterfly, Michael set world records. So he broke the record of his great predecessor and compatriot Mike Spitz for the amount of gold won at one Olympics. Having won 14 Olympic gold medals in his career, Michael Phelps has become a titled athlete in the world.

At the London Olympics in 2012 In 2004, Michael surpassed all athletes in all sports in terms of total number of Olympic medals - 20 medals, breaking the record (18), which had been held for 48 years, and also became a 16-time Olympic champion.

Outside the pool, Phelps leads the same life as everyone else. He enjoys playing golf and Halo 3 on the computer, watching TV, listening to hip-hop, and eating popcorn. He spends his free time with his friends and English bulldog Herman.

Michael Fred Phelps II (born Michael Fred Phelps II; June 30, 1985, Baltimore, Maryland, USA) is an outstanding American swimmer, the only 18-time Olympic champion in the history of sports, a 22-time Olympic medalist and a 26-time world champion in a 50 meter pool. Absolute medal record holder in the history of the Olympic Games. At the XXX Summer Olympics in London, he broke Larisa Latynina's medal record, which lasted 48 years. The sports nickname is The Baltimore Bullet. Michael is strongest in freestyle and butterfly, slightly weaker in backstroke and breaststroke. He also successfully performs in complex swimming.
“In the six years before the 2004 Olympics, you didn’t have a single day off. How did you cope with such a regime? Bob Bowman (Michael’s coach) and I could not talk properly until 8 in the morning because I was in a terrible mood. I like getting up so early. Diving in a cold pool in the morning is not fun at all. But those six years were my sacrifice, which I made to achieve my ideal form. Therefore, I went to bed before 10 pm every day and got up at 6:30. When I was a child, I was ready for anything.Everything that Bob asked me to do, I did 10 times better.I wanted to be the best.I still want to.
You have a two-meter span of arms, a long torso and flexible joints, but your trainer considers your mental stability to be your main asset. How do you deal with pressure? When you come to an important competition, you have already gone through all the training. You forget about everything and climb the step to do what you were preparing for. You can't go back and fix something. What will happen will happen. If you lose, you just bounce back and try again.
with coach Bob Boyman
I told Bob (Bob Bowman - Michael Phelps' coach) that I always looked up to Michael Jordan, to his achievements and managed to become the best swimmer of all time. I told Bob that we achieved all this together, and he replied that it was not fair, because I was alone in the pool. There are tears in my eyes, the same tears in Bob's eyes. I wouldn't be standing here without him. I love my coach very much. I am very grateful to him for having him.

How are you recovering? My trainer Keenan (Robinson) uses Graston metal tools to relieve tension in the muscles of his shoulders, back and legs. It's quite a painful experience. In the process, I often swear, and after that I walk in bruises for two days. I also use ice baths. And at home I sleep in a pressure chamber set to a height of about 2.5 thousand meters. All this helps me to be in the best shape every time I jump into the pool.
with girlfriend Megan Rossi


Experts say that the secret of Phelps is in the flexibility of the body and unique muscles, extremely elastic and recovering very quickly. There is also an opinion that he wins due to the non-standard proportions of his body. He has a long and thin torso, short legs with a 46th leg size, broad shoulders and long arms: with a height of 193 centimeters, their span is 201 centimeters. This is unusual because the height must exceed the "wingspan". In addition, Michael has a super-elastic ankle that allows him to arch his foot even more than ballerinas do.

I think everyone pees in the pool. For swimmers, this is normal. When we have to spend two hours in the water, we just don't have time to go pee. Chlorine cleans everything, so I don’t see anything wrong with that.” Has anything changed since the Beijing Olympics? For example, there is a known case when you left for Las Vegas when the coach was waiting for you at the pool. At that time, I had nothing. It was strange to reach the pinnacle of my career, eight gold medals, and not know what to do next. I didn't have motivation. I messed around for a long time, gained 10 kg of weight. One day, my friend and I were playing football on the beach in Miami and someone took a picture of me, posting pictures all over the place with comments about how I need to start training. That's why I started training again. I worked out for a week or two and then quit. And then there was a picture with marijuana. Was it a brutal blow after everything you've done? It was a mistake that I learned from. I am the type of person who learns from their mistakes.








with mom When I was growing up, my mother taught us to make decisions on our own, but she always said that you need to take responsibility for your decisions. For this I am grateful to her. I am the first to admit that I have made thousands of mistakes, but I have not made one of them twice.


some childhood photos

As a child, he was sent to the swimming section only for the purpose of improving his health, as he was a rather sickly boy. To be more precise, his diagnosis was: "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." Among the symptoms of this disease: hyperactivity, impulsivity, forgetfulness, a constant sense of impending disaster, as well as a tendency to fail and inability to complete the task. Phelps constantly took away pens and pencils from classmates, was distracted in class, looking into their notebooks. Will you keep swimming when your career is over? I don't know yet what my sporting future will be like. Many of my friends are into Insanity and P90X. I love to play basketball and golf. I will continue to swim with the Michael Phelps Organization. We have already helped over 3,000 children learn how to swim, and we also teach them how to set goals and make the right decisions for a healthy and active lifestyle. I have always enjoyed showing these kids that they can achieve anything if they only set themselves the right goals. Updated on 12/08/12 16:58: Updated on 12/08/12 17:48: Updated on 12/08/12 19:53: exhilarating voice of Michael

Immediately after the Olympics, the coolest swimmer in history bought a mansion in Scottsdale for $ 2.5 million. At the same time, Phelps sold his home in Baltimore, where he used to live, for 960 thousand dollars.

Why did Michael leave Washington for Arizona? The fact is that he was preparing for Rio at a local university, and is also going to train a student team here. Plus, the climate is always warm, and flying closer to Las Vegas, where Phelps liked to party until he became a family man.

Michael's new house is not that big compared to other celebrities - only 600 square meters with five bedrooms. And, of course, there is a swimming pool in the yard, if you wish, you can prepare for the Tokyo Olympics in it.

In the spotlight

Phelps is the most talked about athlete in the Olympics. Twitter users dedicated 187 million tweets to him, and this is only during the Rio Olympics. Phelps was discussed even more than runner Usain Bolt and soccer player Neymar. Apparently, then, that Bolt and Neymar together won four gold medals in Rio de Janeiro, and Phelps - as many as five!

Phelps and Boomer

Phelps built a family with model Nicole Johnson - "Miss California - 2010". Actually, in 2010, Michael met the beauty, and last year he proposed to her. Johnson agreed and summed up on the social network: "I will become Mrs. Phelps."

On May 5, 2016, Michael became a father, which he announced to the world through Facebook: “Boomer Robert Phelps, welcome to this world! Healthy and happy baby. The best feeling in life!”

Phelps quote

Is it true that you eat 30,000 calories a day? Tell us about the diet during the Olympics.

I think my son Boomer eats more than me. My son has a good appetite. I'm used to eating when I want to. And how much I want. As a child, I ate about 10,000 calories a day. But I'm already 31 years old. And if a man at my age eats so much, his belly will grow very quickly.

Phelps and father

The full name of our hero is Michael Fred Phelps II. And the first Michael Fred Phelps is his father, who played American football in his youth, then became a patrol policeman, and now retired. Phelps Sr. was married to Deborah, a high school principal. Two daughters were born, then a son, Michael. But her father abandoned the family in 1994, and Debbie raised the children alone.

For swimmer Michael Phelps, this was a psychological trauma. He never forgave his father.

Phelps and disease

Michael has been swimming since the age of seven. His older sister took him to the pool so that the boy would find an outlet for his energy: young Phelps was diagnosed as a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), otherwise hyperkinetic disorder.

The symptoms are: impulsiveness, forgetfulness, a constant sense of impending disaster.

That's why Phelps wins so often. He's just really afraid of losing. The hyperactive child was well shown by Mike Myers in a skit with Nicole Kidman. That's what Phelps was like. He must have been put on a collar too.

Phelps and anthropometry

You can say for a long time that Michael trains a lot, that he is a real sports fanatic. Someone will talk about doping, although not caught - not a thief. Phelps was only caught smoking marijuana once out of competition, for which he received a three-month ban.

The fact is that Phelps is ideally complex for swimming. This is Ichthyander. Dolphin Man. Michael has size 47 feet, disproportionately short legs and a long torso compared to the average person. The arm span is 203 cm, which is 10 cm more than his height.

“I don’t understand how a guy of such height began to swim like a dolphin,” twice Olympic champion Denis Pankratov is surprised. - Nowadays, butterfly was a subtle style, like breaststroke. It was impossible to approach and slash backhand, taking the medal. Dolphinists used to be no taller than 180 cm, strong in the shoulders, with a large chest. The stereotype is a small stocky person.

Phelps's height is 193 cm. I don't understand how such a sleeper can swim a butterfly. He has a completely different technique. This is a new generation athlete. What Phelps is doing is pulling the rug out from under me. I don't even know how he does it. I just get aesthetic pleasure, watching the stopwatch.

The nickname "Baltimore Bullet" this athlete deserved not in vain. Michael Fred Phelps II - this is the full name of the famous American swimmer - managed to win 23 times at the Olympic Games, 13 of them in individual competitions. Today he is the record holder for the number of awards, which no one has yet managed to surpass.

Michael Phelps was born in June 1985 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. Michael was one of 3 children of school principal Deborah Sue Davisson and football player Michael Fred Phelps. When Michael was 9 years old, his parents' marriage ended. The boy painfully experienced the divorce of his father and mother. In the 6th grade, the future sports star was diagnosed with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder.

The older sister brought the 7-year-old brother to the pool. After 3 years, the boy broke the national record in his age group. An experienced coach Bob Bowman took up the further career of a talented swimmer.

Swimming

Under the guidance of a mentor, Michael quickly climbed the sports Olympus. At the age of 15, Michael was selected to participate in the 2000 Olympics, becoming the youngest competitor in the history of the games. Then in Sydney, Australia, the swimmer managed to win only 5th place. But a year later, Michael surprised everyone by breaking the world record. In the United States, Phelps was named Swimmer of the Year in 2001.

But it was only a glorious beginning. In 2003, after graduating from high school, the 17-year-old athlete set world records 5 times. But fame came to him the following year at the Olympics in Athens. 8 medals, of which 6 are gold, before Michael Phelps, only Russian gymnast Alexander Dityatin managed to win in 1980. As for swimming, the American turned out to be a pioneer.

In the same 2004, Phelps moved with his own permanent coach Bob Bowman to Michigan. Here Michael entered the university, choosing the faculty of sports management.

In 2007, Michael went to Melbourne, where he participated in the World Championship. Here Phelps managed to win 7 gold medals and set 5 world records. Phelps is becoming a household name for the swimmers of the world.

But the athlete himself saw in front of him those peaks that remained unconquered. Michael dreamed of breaking the record of compatriot Mark Spitz. The one at the Olympic Games, which were held in Munich in 1972, managed to win 7 gold medals. Phelps has been training hard. And at the Olympics in Beijing in China in 2008, the athlete managed to achieve what he wanted: 8 gold medals. Spitz's record, previously called "eternal", was reached and broken.

In 2009, the athlete was accused of doping. Paparazzi captured a swimmer with a marijuana pipe. And although the athlete’s tests turned out to be clean, and smoking cannabis is not prohibited out of competition, the US Swimming Federation pointedly disqualified Phelps for three months for disappointing people who believe in him.

The sports biography of Michael Phelps is a series of real triumphs. During his career, the American champion managed to win 19 Olympic gold medals and break world records 32 times - a result that most swimmers in the world can only dream of.

In 2012, after the London Olympics, 27-year-old Michael Phelps announced his decision to put an end to his sports biography. After participating in this Olympics, the swimmer surpassed all athletes in all sports in terms of the number of Olympic awards. Michael Phelps received 22 medals at that time and broke the record set by a Soviet gymnast. This record stood for 48 years.

But in 2014, the athlete again took part in the games. The fans of the champion heard the same words about the end of their career in 2016: the swimmer again said that the Olympics in Brazil would be his last. In Rio de Janeiro, Phelps once again met the expectations of his fans. The athlete managed to break his own record for gold medals.

Now Michael Phelps is a 23-time Olympic champion. He has 28 awards in his piggy bank, collected from all the Olympics in which he participated. At the same time, 13 of the swimmer's 23 gold medals belong to individual competitions, which allowed the athlete. Moreover, this record remained unattainable for 2168 years: in 152 BC, the ancient Greek athlete Leonid of Rhodes received 12 gold medals in the individual competition.

Personal life

Not only a sports career, but also the personal life of Michael Phelps was excellent. He is happily married to model Nicole Johnson, who was crowned Miss California in 2010.

In May 2016, Nicole gave birth to her first child, whom the couple named Robert. Michael Phelps shared his joy with his fans, saying that he had never experienced greater happiness.

The couple have been together since 2010. The athlete assures that now he simply has to spend more time with his grown family. And the swimmer really sticks to this plan, in " Instagram» Phelps in every second photo, the athlete is captured with his family.

The swimmer's athletic achievements are often associated, in addition to the swimming technique, with the features of the Phelps figure. Michael has a size 47 foot, which is statistically larger than the average size for his height. The athlete also has disproportionately short legs and a long torso and arms. At the same time, according to various estimates, the swimmer's arm span reaches 201-203 cm, which is as much as 10 cm more than the athlete's own height (193 cm).

The weight of the athlete is 83 kg, which is not so remarkable if it were not for the myth of the “Phelps diet”. Against this background of the swimmer's victories, the diet attributed to him with 10,000-12,000 calories consumed became especially popular. But the athlete himself claims that he has never eaten so much.

The swimmer is engaged in advertising and acts as the face of LZR Racer tracksuits. In addition, the athlete opened his own personalized brand that produces specialized goggles for swimming. The design of the glasses was developed by Phelps himself in collaboration with trainer Bob Bowman.

Michael Phelps now

Michael Phelps has repeatedly proved that he has no competition among people. Therefore, in 2017, the swimmer agreed to an unusual competition offered by the Discovery TV channel. At a distance of 100 meters, the Olympic champion with. In this competition, the swimmer lost, the shark overcame a hundred meters faster by 2 seconds.

February 12, 2018 by Michael Phelps The athlete shared this news on Instagram, saying that both Nicole and the baby are doing well.

Awards

• 2003 - Champion of the World Championships in Barcelona in competitions at a distance of 400 m and 200 m individual medley, at a distance of 200 m butterfly style, in a combined relay race 4 × 100 m
• 2004 - Olympic champion in Athens in 400m and 200m medley, 200m and 100m butterfly, 4x200m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay
• 2005 - Champion of the World Championships in Montreal in the 200 m medley and freestyle competitions, in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay and 4 × 100 m medley relay
• 2007 - Champion of the World Championships in Melbourne in competitions at a distance of 400 m and 200 m individual medley, at a distance of 200 m and 100 m butterfly style, at a distance of 200 m individual medley, in relay races 4 × 200 m and 4 × 100 m
• 2008 - Beijing Olympic champion in 400m and 200m medley, 200m and 100m butterfly, 200m freestyle, 4x200m and 4x100m freestyle and medley relay events 4×100 m
• 2009 - World Championships champion in Rome in 200m and 100m butterfly, 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays and 4x100m medley relay
• 2011 - World Championship champion in Shanghai in 200m and 100m butterfly, 4x200m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay
• 2012 - London Olympic champion in 200m medley, 100m butterfly, 4x200m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay
• 2016 - Olympic champion in Rio de Janeiro in 200m medley and butterfly, 4x200m and 4x100m freestyle relays and 4x100m medley relay